Politicians may push up violent crime by getting tough on it

ONE of the worst spectacles of the US presidential election has been the resurgence of racially charged politics. Donald Trump is stoking fears of an explosion of violent crime in inner cities – a tactic widely seen as a racist dog whistle.

Unlike lots of Trump’s “facts”, there is a grain of truth in this one. There has been a recent rise in violent crime in some major cities. Solving this, and dispelling racial tensions, should be high on the political agenda.